If you read about taking pictures of dark dogs, you probably can guess what some of the tips are for taking pictures of light dogs...

Like with the dark dogs, the light meter on the camera looks at the average of the entire frame for the exposure, which usually means the background looks great, but your white dog is glowing. You'll want to look for that same little +/- button, but this time, let in less light; so turn it to the - side. If you set it correctly, you'll end up with good detail on your dog and a nice dark background for contrast.

Many cameras have a "snow" setting, this is generally used for taking pictures of people or objects in the snow - meaning darker objects against a very bright background... the opposite of the problem here.

If you are taking a picture of your white dog playing in the snow, you will actually probably NOT need to use the snow setting because that setting lets in more light - which will likely make both your dog and the background disappear.

All that said, different cameras have different "smart metering" functions so do some experimenting!!! It's not like you're wasting film

Many cameras also have a place to save custom settings, I highly recommend playing with your camera a little and saving the settings that work for your dog - because when you get a chance for "just the right picture" you don't want to have to fuss with settings and try to experiment!

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.

So what do you do if you have multiple colored dogs, say....piled on top of one another? Shoot for whichever color is most prominent, or somewhere in the middle?

This is my most recent "World Peace" picture with all the dogs piled on each other (taken a few weeks ago, and no, they aren't posed there...they slept that way and I woke up to them like this ). I shot it for "light colored dogs", but I am sure I could do better (ie: see the little black blob by the butts of the two light colored blobs...er, blabs )?

blabsforbullies wrote:So what do you do if you have multiple colored dogs, say....piled on top of one another? Shoot for whichever color is most prominent, or somewhere in the middle?

This is my most recent "World Peace" picture with all the dogs piled on each other (taken a few weeks ago, and no, they aren't posed there...they slept that way and I woke up to them like this ). I shot it for "light colored dogs", but I am sure I could do better (ie: see the little black blob by the butts of the two light colored blobs...er, blabs )?

AHEM.Excuse Me For Interrupting, But I'm not sure you REALIZED that a Small Horse Wandered in to Your House in the MIddle of the night and slept with your dogs. Ya know.......... The second one from the Right.

“Hope has two beautiful daughters: their names are Anger and Courage. Anger that things are the way they are. Courage to make them the way they ought to be.”----Augustine

That is actually the true downfall of digital vs film photography. With digital, what is there is "what is there" and that's the end of it. With film, over exposed areas had all the detail you wanted, you just needed to give them more time to develop. It took some finesse, but every area of a photograph could have detail.

You have the same problem I have Ruby is almost black, Riggs is white. One or both are going to be poorly exposed. If I have to pick, I generally shoot with the intention of getting the exposure correct for the light dogs, and then hand correct the dark ones.

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.

ArtGypsy wrote:AHEM.Excuse Me For Interrupting, But I'm not sure you REALIZED that a Small Horse Wandered in to Your House in the MIddle of the night and slept with your dogs. Ya know.......... The second one from the Right.

She does look like quite the horse compared to the rest, doesn't she! hahaha! She is my beastie (and the pillow for all others, apparently)!

Thanks for the tips. That is what we do, too...shoot for the light. If only I could color coordinate my pack.... sigh.....

blabsforbullies wrote:So what do you do if you have multiple colored dogs, say....piled on top of one another? Shoot for whichever color is most prominent, or somewhere in the middle?

This is my most recent "World Peace" picture with all the dogs piled on each other (taken a few weeks ago, and no, they aren't posed there...they slept that way and I woke up to them like this ). I shot it for "light colored dogs", but I am sure I could do better (ie: see the little black blob by the butts of the two light colored blobs...er, blabs )?

OH my gosh I love that picture!

Michelle is it too much to ask for someone just to come set my camera correctly every time I use it LOL!!! I'm so not electronics savvy. I'd love to have the time and money to get a really good new camera and take a course on using it properly.

Patch O' Pits Pursuit-O-Perfection

Run Hard at the Rainbow Bridge My Angel Sock-M! I Love You Baby Girl! Now that your Mom Starlit is up there too, please help her learn the ropes, love and keep her company until I can see you both again. Starlit I love you!http://i14.tinypic.com/2a8q345.jpg